Meter box cover



F. M. BROOKS METER Box COVER April 16, 1957 Filed NOV. 27, 1953 /WK M.-Beeck. .5,

IN VEN TOR.

rroQ/vE-ys United METER BOX COVER Frank M. Brooks, San Marino, Calif.;Harry H. Lehman, executor of said Frank M. Brooks, deceased Thisinvention relates to a 4cover for concrete water meter boxes.

Such boxes are now in common use, and are provided with metal orconcrete covers. A lid hinged on the cover maybe lifted when it isdesired to read the meter.

It is one of the objects `of this invention to provide a cover of thistype, of improved and simplified construction.

lt is another object of this invention to make it possible to provide alid structure such that the view of the meter reader is not materiallyobstructed by the hinge parts When the lid is opened.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objectswhich may be made more clearly apparent lfrom a consideration of oneembodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form inthe drawings accompanying and forming part of the present speciiication.This -form will now be described in detail; but it is to be understoodthat this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense,since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring tothe drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view or" a meter box in which the invention isembodied;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken along a plane corresponding to line 2 2of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, similar to Fig. 2, showing the lid for theviewing aperture in the open position; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along a plane correspondingto line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The meter box 1 is shown in this instance as of general rectangularconfiguration and having an open top. It may conveniently be made ofconcrete or cement or other non-metallic plastic material. It isintended to -be disposed over a water meter and in such position thatits top will form a substantially ush surface.

The opening in the top of Ibox 1 is `formed by walls 2 leading to a ange3. The top surface i of the ange 3 is substantially horizontal and formsa shoulder below the top surface 5 of the box. This shoulder issubstantially horizontal and forms a support for a cover member 6.

This cover member may also be made of non-metallic lsuch as concrete orcement. This cover member may have a depending portion 7 which extendsbelow the shoulder 4.

The cover member 6 is provided with a viewing apertates Patent ture Sadapted to be closed by a lid 9. When the lid 9 is held in the openposition of Fig. 3, a meter reader may inspect the meter within the box.

The lid 9 may be made of ribbed cast iron or the like, having dependinghinge lugs l@ at opposite edges thereof. The outer surfaces of thesehinge lugs are ilush with the corresponding edges of the lid 9. Areinforcing rib 11 is -formed at the inner surface of each of the ir-.gs1?.

For pivoting the lid 9, use is made of a pin 12. This pin i2 extendsthrough both of the hinge lugs l and is accommodated in a cored hole 13in the cover o. This cored hole, as shown most clearly in Fig. l, doesnot extend entirely through the cover 6. The pin 12 can ybe inserted inthe cored hole and it can `be prevented from accidental removal by alling of piastic material below the pin 12, as Viewed in Fig. l.

The lid 9 is provided with an opening 14 for the insertion of anappropriate tool or hook -for lifting the lid to the position of Fig. 3.Furthermore, the right hand edge of the lid 9 may rest upon a horizontalshoulder 1S formed along one edge of the viewing aperture 8.

in order to limit the opening movement of the lid 9 so that, whenreleased, it will fall by gravity to the closed position, a stop isprovided. For this purpose, there are bosses 16 at opposite edges of theaperture S. These bosses are formed integrally with the cover 6. Theyprovide an upper shoulder 17 also serving to limit the closing movementof the lid 9. A stopping surface 18 is provided on the boss 16 adaptedto cooperate with a corresponding stopping surface 19 of each of thehinge iugs 153.

The cooperating stopping surfaces 18 and 19 are so arranged that noportion of the elements forming these stopping surfaces extend above thesurface of the lid 9 when the lid is in the closed position or Fig. 2.

The inventor claims:

In a cover structure for a meter box or the like: a cover having aviewing aperture; a metal iid for the aperture, adapted to liesubstantially flush with the cover member; said lid having a pair ofdepending hinge lugs at opposite edges of the lid; and a hinge pinextending through yboth of the lugs, and having ends entirely supportedin recesses in the cover; said logs having sur-faces iiush with saidedges and adjacent opposite edges of the viewing aperture: said oppositeedges of the aperture having integrally formed bosses forming shoulderscooperating with the stop surfaces formed on the lugs for limiting theopening movement of the lid; said bosses and the hinges being below the'top surface of the cover when the lid is closed; the top edges of thebosses serving to limit the closing movement of the lid.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 572,217Rebmann Dec. 1, 1896 738,736 Steinmetz Sept. 8, 1903 1,455,723 Hall May5, 1923 1,781,280 Haase Nov. l1, 1930 2,430,222 Goldbert Nov. 4, 1947FOREIGN PATENTS 27,610 Great Britain of 1962

